1. Welcome to Tundras.com!

    You are currently viewing as a guest! To get full-access, you need to register for a FREE account.

    As a registered member, you’ll be able to:
    • Participate in all Tundra discussion topics
    • Transfer over your build thread from a different forum to this one
    • Communicate privately with other Tundra owners from around the world
    • Post your own photos in our Members Gallery
    • Access all special features of the site

06 DC Destination TBD

Discussion in '1st Gen Builds (2000-2006)' started by Toiyabe, Feb 5, 2023.

  1. Feb 5, 2023 at 4:34 PM
    #1
    Toiyabe

    Toiyabe [OP] New Member

    Joined:
    Jun 11, 2022
    Member:
    #79459
    Messages:
    10
    Vehicle:
    2006 DC Limited TRD Off Road
    So I've had this truck for several years and have frequently lurked on this forum and various others looking for troubleshooting tips which then turned into reading through endless hours of threads drawing inspiration for future mods so after lots of debating, I figured it was time to start my own build thread. We've got about 3 years of catching up to do so skip ahead if you get bored easily. I'll throw a ton of pictures in here too.

    TL,DR: Bought a first gen. Did stuff. Probably gonna do more stuff.

    A little backstory, I've lived in the mountains for most of my life and spend as much time as possible out in the woods skiing, camping, hiking, etc. Back around 2019 or so I was driving a Honda Pilot which was fine for getting around town, the occasional dirt USFS road, and the AWD with Bilzzaks was great on snowy roads but I knew I needed something that could hold more gear and take me further. Not to mention the huge upgrade over tent camping that was possible with a camper shell. I needed something with true 4x4 that was as reliable as possible, was big enough for me to sleep vertically in the bed and hold skis and gear, and didn't break the bank. I wanted to stay with something fairly modern but didn't want any of the electronic nannies that would not only drive up the cost upfront, but also be annoying and cost a fortune when they inevitably break. After talking to friends who drove everything from Silverados to F-150's to Tacomas, it seemed like something in between all of them was the best solution. Enter the First Gen Tundra.

    I spent months searching the whole western US for the right truck. I loved the backseat convenience with an SUV so I knew I wanted a double cab. Plus with further research, I knew the 04+ VVTI engine with the extra power was the one to get, along with the bigger ball joints and various other kinks ironed out. I found one that checked all my boxes (and then some) up for sale in Santa Cruz. It was a 2006 Double Cab Limited TRD Off-Road with 59,000 original miles and had nearly every option available. It had an RCD 6" lift with 35's to boot. I was aware of the limitations that come with drop bracket lifts but figured it was a good starting point so I made the trip and bought the truck in the fall of 2019.

    Quick stats from when I got it:
    RCD 6" Lift Kit
    Bilstein 5100 shocks
    35/12.5/r17 Mickey Thompson Baja MTZ tires
    17x9 Mickey Thompson Classic Lock wheels


    Here's the truck before I got it
    53B7CECE-A1B8-4988-9F19-E3B68FCA9CD9.jpg

    It was in good shape. Checked out the frame for the usual rust spots but being a California truck it's whole life, it had fared well even being near the coast. Interior was a little used but that was to be expected for a 13 year old truck and wasn't anything that a good detail wouldn't be able to take care of.

    Here's a shot shortly after picking it up. Obviously right off the bat those awful blue LED's had to go but we'll get to that later.
    6B1426F2-FF88-4A1C-A27E-D42CA9608726_1_201_a.jpg

    First things first was a full inspection from the guys at the auto shop I worked next door to. They gave it a clean bill of health and we decided to just do an oil change and throw new spark plugs in as well as greasing everywhere that would take it. I had noticed the rear diff was seeping a little bit and that was almost certainly from some pretty gnarly axle wrap so I had them change the diff fluid and they noticed the old fluid was slightly metallic but nothing too serious and to keep an eye on it and change it regularly. The RCD kit uses a 4 inch block under the rear leaf springs and the wear of the lift kit parts suggests this kit has been on the truck possibly since new. I read somewhere that this may have been a dealer option at certain dealers. The Carfax showed that this truck was sold new in San Diego so I wonder if that was the case for me. Either way, the truck has had plenty of time for any issues with the lift to make their presence known.

    Started taking it out further from pavement when spring came around to see what it could do and it didn't disappoint807009F6-948E-48EA-B1D5-9DB538E2EA5B_1_105_c.jpg
    (Just bird poop not a carsick puppy)
    71302179-8B2C-4B58-95E7-9AED21052D19.jpg

    B34640E8-9A0E-40BF-83D6-BE40B9914718_1_201_a.jpg CECCDE62-1C34-4377-9688-542C5E24C8B4_1_201_a.jpg

    Front shocks were seeping and the lower bushing was totally blown out. The RCD kit has it's own specific size of the Bilstein 5100 shocks and while RCD is no more and the kit has been discontinued, shocks and some parts are still available. Also, the rust on the LCA is nowhere near as bad as the lighting and dirt makes it look in this picture, but I don't plan on keeping them forever. The quick fix was to just throw some replacement shocks in since they were only about $125 a pop until I figure out what I really want to do with the front end. 3F03B378-863E-44D8-8571-4F5EB0ED7688.jpg

    Mileage check at this point. Nice.
    27ED346B-C8EA-443F-BD21-AC7413E24F48.jpg

    Next on the list was to deal with those awful LED headlights. I had a buddy who had done some projector retrofits on a bunch of cars over the years and I decided that was the way to go. So I ordered all the parts and grabbed a case of beer and we got these knocked out in an afternoon. Went with a Morimoto D2S setup. Osram 4200k bulbs, 35w ballast, and a H4 bi-xenon relay from Morimoto with Apollo 3.0 shrouds.

    First step was to bake them open in the oven.
    B5152B0B-4EE2-4BC8-B6BB-3EF493E0010D.jpg

    Blacked out the bezels while they were out. Was hoping to find a matching set of smoked turn signals at the time but have only found them as a complete set with headlights too and didn't want to bake those open just to paint them so oh well.
    A53DA023-FC3C-4BBC-95F3-11DC0A63C3FD.jpg

    Pretty easy plug and play. Took some finessing to level them out but it wasn't too hard.
    36E48084-10F6-43E6-B959-E4D5C2C9B243.jpg

    Mocked up back in the truck05CEBCA3-4005-4237-9375-C3A2163B8ED5_1_201_a.jpg

    All buttoned up. Sidenote - I was out wheeling and dropped straight off a rock shortly before this and put a nice dent through the skidplate and right into the drop bracket crossmember. Might have been a pavement princess in a past life but it definitely isn't anymore.
    40E4B905-BF3D-4F28-B5E5-0009595AEC65_1_201_a.jpg

    F5619BCC-2870-49C3-AA74-52331C91770F_1_201_a.jpg

    Final result is phenomenal. I'd say these are now on par, if not better, than any factory light on a new truck. All for about $300 and a case of beer.
    A1E8B01B-5DC5-492B-A7A3-F7DFDDF05C45.jpg

    I had my eye on the local craigslist for a while looking for a canopy since I wanted to be able to camp in it but didn't want any overly expensive and cumbersome slide in camper. I was being pretty picky about finding a color matching one which proved to be easier said than done given that there were only 3 years of production on the double cab. The bed dimensions are slightly different but I can confirm that they are close enough to the access cab that the shells are interchangeable. The bigger difference is the profile of the cab. The access cab has a more vertical rear and the double cab slopes forward slightly more. I was able to get my hands on a shell off of an access cab that was the right color, although the paint was in pretty rough shape. I decided it was good enough for my intense porpoises given how rare they actually are.
    46CF9B9E-5B12-4ECB-8DBE-FEECA55F0EB7_1_201_a.jpg

    Next was building myself somewhere to sleep back there. Thankfully the shell itself was carpeted but I knew I needed to add some more insulation since I camp in below freezing weather often where I live. I also wanted everything to be easily removable for when I need the truck to do truck stuff. First step was a flat floor to build on. Issue number 1 was that the single piece of plywood was too wide to insert into the truck with the shell on so we decided to cut it vertically into 2 halves for easier setup and removal. Used cardboard templates and a jigsaw to cut to the contours of the bed. Also, you'll see the hackjob a previous owner made in the front of the bed here. My theory is a subwoofer box of some kind. The truck had a tonneau cover on when I bought it and had a car cover stuffed into the front of the bed so I didn't notice until it was too late to ask. Note to self - always dig through stuff when checking out a vehicle because it might be hiding something.

    6931FB98-E912-49D4-B6CE-D7A82BFA0870.jpg

    Built the bed out of 2x3 to save weight and in 3 sections for easier removal and storage. I hit the floor with waterproofing sealant before carpeting it. The wheel wells were awkward and I could have tackled that better but hey, it works. I made the bed just high enough to store skis under while as low as possible to maximize headroom sitting up.
    EA881DF6-28E7-4299-AE77-2758808010C0.jpg

    The original plan was to do a whole wrap around counter thing with a removable floor panel to extend the bed over to sleep 2 but this was when lumber was a gazillion dollars so I gave up after just the bed. That left a leftover cutout at the top section which actually worked out pretty well as an accidental nightstand.
    CF2130C0-4218-42EF-B3CA-811B2DD35138.jpg

    Top section rests in place with these blocks and can lift up to access stuff. I went back and sealed everything after putting it together to make sure it fit.
    5C8354BF-F1DF-4980-A7B0-F1C906E9F7B7.jpg

    All in all not the nicest setup by any means but it gets the job done. Took it out for a couple inaugural testing trips.E6DFACE1-D1AE-4360-8967-520D04EE9712_1_201_a.jpg

    Now, I was expecting this to just be a weekenderlander sort of rig and it got a lot of use that way over the summer but things lined up to give me the opportunity to go full time on the road in early fall 2021. I sold a bunch of stuff and got myself a good little cot mattress and headed out with no destination. A little scary at the time but I quickly loved the freedom. Not going to wax poetic though since this is a truck build thread and not some vanlife influencer on instagram trying to sell you #overlander gear. Although while we're on the topic, if you're in the market for a rotomolded cooler and don't want to spend a ton on a Yeti, the Cascade Mountain Tech coolers from Costco hold ice just as long as a Yeti for less than half the price so do with that information what you will.
    873517DA-783A-4E25-8653-AC0873015833.jpg

    All loaded up in the woods of central Idaho.
    52DBEFE7-8AFD-4476-B2BD-02704CB7F62B.jpg

    A smokey Sawtooth valley.
    617376C7-1FC1-4462-A1DB-7978E177662A_1_201_a.jpg

    060A1F83-6B84-4C9D-ADBF-530895BC6336_1_201_a.jpg
    Back on pavement briefly at Glacier NP.
    676847C7-EEA0-4D3E-B087-3099B8779D4A_1_201_a.jpg

    A glimpse at what the back ended up looking like. I put up reflectix over the windows with velcro which helped a lot with keeping warm. I also got some foam weather stripping from Ace to put around the edge of the tailgate and on the bottom of the back hatch to seal it up better after having a ton of dust blowing in.
    6C40896C-EA97-440C-AD8B-D506F00D87EE_1_201_a.jpg

    Decent campsite across from the Tetons. Notice how bald the tires are at this point.
    8FA40041-5EEF-4718-A1CF-A10805FF9E54_1_201_a.jpg

    Called ahead and got a good deal on a set of 35/12.5/r17 Goodyear Duratracs back in Idaho Falls and drove down and back to have them installed as well as a quick oil change since it was overdue at this point. Amazing how silent the new tires are on the road. I guess that was to be expected going from a worn MT to a less aggressive new tire.
    96D60F3C-9C5B-4A7E-B931-782A7BADAABB_1_201_a.jpg

    Hit another significant mileage milestone.
    716F78F7-EA01-4EC3-9ABA-D96B7706CB73.jpg
    Putzed around Yellowstone and southern Montana and back up to East Glacier since the first snow of the year was in the forecast.
    D318CA49-ADB4-41FB-BA72-115C984167C1_1_201_a.jpg

    Very windy with the storm approaching so I tucked into the trees as much as possible.
    EE554387-7D29-4B3E-B744-6E815024E3C4_1_201_a.jpg

    Decent spot.
    CDB65D76-9699-4270-B12F-28691240B3B7_1_201_a.jpg

    Coldest morning yet. It was in the teens outside but I stayed pretty cozy in my bed. Interior thermometer was reading in the 40s. Not easy to talk myself into getting up to make coffee except for the view.
    9FF29DCF-6F47-4141-AD29-F343DDB68077_1_201_a.jpg

    After that I found a house and a job in the PNW and hunkered down for the winter. The truck needed some upgrades and maintenance so I started planning that all out after becoming domestic again.

    First up was a lighting upgrade. Still loving my projectors, but they really only focus on the road ahead and don't give you any sort of peripheral help. I ended up with a set of Baja Designs Squadron Pro ditch lights and these things help so much. 71633A2B-AA30-4C1A-BEFF-BD7CDA026CFD_1_201_a.jpg

    I didn't snap any pictures but I tackled a new steering rack bushing kit as well as new inner and outer tie rods. The RCD drop bracket has slightly different holes and bolts as factory and the bushings were a real PITA to install. We had to throw one of the sleeved bushings on the drill press to bore out an extra mm or 2 to fit the RCD bolt. Why they changed from the stock ones with the lift kit is beyond me. It's a worthwhile and often overlooked maintenance item on these trucks though. I had some serious wobble in the steering and this tightened it right up.

    More recently I did upper and lower ball joints as well as new rotors and pads. Went OEM on the ball joints and got ARP bolts after thoroughly reading the threads here as well as the Spiker Engineering blog posts. Only problem was that I was listening to guys who had a 00-03 model which used the M10 bolt. I read it again and saw that it was mentioned that the 04-06 trucks with the bigger ball joint used M12 bolts. The ones I got were also 5mm too long because I misunderstood the dust shield variable discussed in that thread. For those still wondering, the correct bolt for 04-06 trucks is the M12x1.5-35mm ARP 664-1003. Exchange bolts from Summit are currently inbound. Had to temporarily throw the old ones back in until new ones show up later this week. Crossing my fingers they last a few more days.
    0C11D018-2CA3-4DEF-B20D-E41AD500BCFC.jpg

    Also did new R1 concepts drilled and slotted rotors since mine had warped and shook the whole truck pretty violently once they warmed up. Got a set of their off road performance pads too and so far they're a huge improvement. Truck feels like it stops on a dime now and it's perfectly smooth. I was on the fence about doing the GX460 big brake conversion but decided it wasn't worth it at the moment and got the R1 stuff during one of their 30% off sales. 301BD44F-6282-49E0-818B-AA144704EA9F.jpg

    Lower ball joints were a super easy job.C7BF2D46-1AA5-4FA4-81FD-D69A191908BE.jpg

    However, the same could not be said for the uppers. For whatever reason, the RCD spindles have a notch for the upper ball joint that won't fit a press. 8E3B86ED-7F12-4736-882D-ADDC36429E9A.jpg

    After coming up with a crescent spacer out of random scraps sitting around the shop, we were able to get it out but it still took a bunch of swearing and brute force to get it to shimmy past that stupid notch. Pressing in the new ones straight was a challenge on it's own and basically had to start it crooked and walk it down into the spindle.
    DB21E34E-083C-4F76-B54D-229FA19088B0.jpg

    New rotors look good back there.

    A57B562A-266C-47D4-B046-743A053434C7.jpg

    I've gotten more ambitious with my plans and I'm starting to build up a considerable stockpile of parts in the living room. One thing always turns into "well while that's apart we might as well..." until there's a mountain of things to do. I knew I needed to deal with the axle wrap and now have plans of completely redoing the rear end. Next up is the Archive shock relocation kit, hammer hangers, u-bolt flip kit, bump stops, and HD leaf springs. Since I'm still going to be running the RCD front kit for a bit longer, I'll need to add a couple leafs to the HD pack but I have a source on a 3 pack that should fit and level the truck out again to match the lift for now. Oh and these King 2.5x12" remote resi shocks from Accutune.1B6F8E1D-4113-4B38-AEF7-5988E12012D1_1_201_a.jpg

    Currently sitting at 97,000 miles so next up is going to be a timing belt and water pump that I should have done a while ago since the truck is 17 years old and FSM states to change at 90k miles OR 7 years. Really playing with fire putting that off on these interference motors, although I've seen folks on here go 250k plus on the factory belt by some miracle.

    Increasingly wishful list of other things that I'm loosely planning but don't have yet:
    • Coastal (maybe BFF) off road bumpers
    • Rock sliders
    • 4.56 gears with some sort of lockers TBD
    • Rear disc brake conversion
    • New wheels and 37s
    • Manual transfer case
    • Solo/Camburg/TC long travel kit but only because there's no RCLT for these trucks (maybe adapt a GX RCLT kit...?) or maybe SAS
    • FWC Project M style camper

    Once I've got the rear end all put together and working, I'll need a little while to brainstorm ideas for the front. I've pushed the RCD kit well past its intended limits so I'll need to figure something else out. Given the lack of aftermarket support for these trucks these days, I might have to get creative here. An RCLT kit would be the ultimate goal but I may have to settle for something else. I know the other models of that kit can be somewhat similar but would require some legit fab work to adapt to this truck. I like having stuff that nobody else has, but that might be tricky. All the other long travel kits could work, although they're more designed for desert running whereas I find myself on rocky trails far more often than desert roads.

    The other option is a solid axle swap. I don't like this option nearly as much since it's significantly more custom fab work and probably limits the on road drivability a bit more than long travel. The sample size is small for SAS first gens but there's only a few that I've seen that I liked. Although I will say I strongly prefer SAS double cabs over the access cabs. A lot of them end up looking like overly lifted super duty trucks that are way too tall to be good at anything. I know fitting 37's is going to involve a lot of cutting either way but I hate bro lifts and want to avoid going any higher than the truck is right now. I'd much rather tub the firewall than lift any higher and I've read both of Seans's threads and several others who have tubbed so I know how much work that is.

    Anyways, I know that was a novel of a first post but maybe it's helpful or gives someone else some ideas. If not, hopefully it was at least entertaining. If not, then the joke's on you for reading this far. I'll try and keep this updated going forward with installs and brainstorming future plans. Cheers!
     
    HBTundra, Tacopashka, Wwjvd and 8 others like this.
  2. Feb 5, 2023 at 4:40 PM
    #2
    FrenchToasty

    FrenchToasty The Desert rat, 6 lug enthusiast

    Joined:
    Sep 15, 2019
    Member:
    #36156
    Messages:
    15,435
    First Name:
    Mo
    The SoAz
    Vehicle:
    2006 DC 4.88s Elocker and some other trippy stuff
    None
    Welcome!
     
    Toiyabe[OP] likes this.
  3. Feb 5, 2023 at 7:32 PM
    #3
    digitalferg

    digitalferg New Member

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2017
    Member:
    #10339
    Messages:
    109
    Wandering the Wild West
    Vehicle:
    2006 Tundra DC TRD 4x4
    Awesome. Looks like a great truck and some great adventures.

    I'm with you on the front suspension. Wish there were more/better options. I'm not holding my breath on it, but Marlin has previously indicated they do have plans to one day release RCLT for the "Type II" trucks. Sure would be sweet if they did.

    And I also wouldn't hold my breath while trying to get anything from BFF. I emailed and called them about a month ago to order a front bumper and sliders and have never heard a peep back from them. :( I ended up going Bash Fab for some sliders and they should be arriving this week.

    Look forward to seeing how this build progresses. :cool:
     
    Toiyabe[OP] likes this.
  4. Feb 5, 2023 at 8:28 PM
    #4
    Toiyabe

    Toiyabe [OP] New Member

    Joined:
    Jun 11, 2022
    Member:
    #79459
    Messages:
    10
    Vehicle:
    2006 DC Limited TRD Off Road
    Honestly I looked at both of the bumper options pretty closely and I think I like the Coastal ones better anyways. This one from their site is of the few SAS trucks that have pulled it off well. If anyone knows more about this truck in particular I'd be very interested in details on this build.

    [​IMG]
     
  5. Feb 6, 2023 at 9:14 AM
    #5
    Baller

    Baller New Member

    Joined:
    Jul 22, 2018
    Member:
    #17275
    Messages:
    734
    Gender:
    Male
    Vehicle:
    '05 Tundra SR5 DC
    You picked up a nice rig and are doing all the right things to it. Great looking build. How do the stock gears like the 35's and how much, if any, does they rub? My '05 DC with an RCD lift and stock gears has 275/65R20's. They've been OK. I've got some 17" rims that I'd like to wrap with 35's but wonder how they would do.
     
    Toiyabe[OP] likes this.
  6. Feb 6, 2023 at 6:51 PM
    #6
    handwerk

    handwerk New Member

    Joined:
    Apr 20, 2018
    Member:
    #14615
    Messages:
    51
    Gender:
    Male
    Thanks for your write up and pictures great stuff.
    I too have a DC and was happy to see the AC topper was a close fit as I've been on the hunt for a used one and they've been hard to find.
     
    Toiyabe[OP] likes this.
  7. Feb 6, 2023 at 11:42 PM
    #7
    Toiyabe

    Toiyabe [OP] New Member

    Joined:
    Jun 11, 2022
    Member:
    #79459
    Messages:
    10
    Vehicle:
    2006 DC Limited TRD Off Road
    My 35's don't rub at all even at full lock under normal conditions. Maybe a hair when I'm at full lock and making a hairpin turn on a rocky trail but I'm doing like 2mph there so who cares. I'm not running spacers or anything and I don't know my wheel offset but it's nothing huge. You can absolutely run 35's with this lift kit no problem at all. The stock 3.91 gears do alright most of the time. The truck does tend to gear hunt with cruise control on if there's even a slight hill but I usually don't use it anyways. It's definitely nice to be able to do 75mph at under 2000rpm and I'm able to average over 16mpg highway which is pretty good for these trucks, especially considering the extra weight. I weighed it before setting up my rear suspension and having shocks tuned and I'm driving around right under 6,000lbs most of the time, and a couple hundred pounds over when I'm loaded up to camp or if anyone else is in the truck.

    Gearing charts have the ideal ratio to be back at factory performance at a 4.56 for this truck on 35's so I figure that's a good place to be. Although the same calculators spit out 4.88 for 37's so that's another decision to make. Do I overgear now and hope I can figure out how to fit 37's later? Or gear it properly now and run into the same issue later. Leaning towards just doing 4.56 for now since I know 37's on a first gen can be a real battle to fit which is why you rarely see anyone running them.
     
  8. Feb 6, 2023 at 11:47 PM
    #8
    Toiyabe

    Toiyabe [OP] New Member

    Joined:
    Jun 11, 2022
    Member:
    #79459
    Messages:
    10
    Vehicle:
    2006 DC Limited TRD Off Road
    The access cab shell I have fits the dimensions of the bed almost perfectly. Although it's close enough that I bet one manufacturer to another could be the difference in fitting well or not. I think the rumors of them not being compatible comes from access cab guys trying to fit a double cab shell and having the cab profile not quite line up and needing to push it back too far.
     
  9. Feb 19, 2023 at 12:52 PM
    #9
    Toiyabe

    Toiyabe [OP] New Member

    Joined:
    Jun 11, 2022
    Member:
    #79459
    Messages:
    10
    Vehicle:
    2006 DC Limited TRD Off Road
    I had the timing belt and water pump done a couple days ago. I typically do most of the work on this truck and this is just the second time since I've owned it that I took it to an actual shop but being an interference motor, I wanted the dealer warranty in case anything happened. I saw people on here saying they paid around $1600 for the timing belt and water pump so I was expecting a quote around there. Lucky for me, my local Toyota dealer only quoted $1050 so I went for it. I had them do the diff and t-case fluids while it was there, since it's been just over 30k since those were done. The serpentine belt was also starting to show signs of wear and they went ahead and put a new one in on the house. All in all, got 3 birds stoned at once all for less than I was expecting to pay for just the timing belt and water pump job.
     
    JasonC. likes this.
  10. Feb 24, 2023 at 11:15 AM
    #10
    JasonC.

    JasonC. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

    Joined:
    Jan 23, 2023
    Member:
    #90779
    Messages:
    817
    TX
    Vehicle:
    2001 4x4 4.7L AC Limited 44k mi
    Man, that's a freakin' bargain. Shop time alone is (per a dealer I got a quote from) 7.5 hours for that TB/WP job, so they must have also had a good deal going on the Aisin kit.

    Love this truck and, even more, the outdoor adventures you are having with it!
     
    Toiyabe[QUOTED][OP] likes this.

Products Discussed in

To Top